Men from Lowell, Lawrence guilty in drug conspiracy

BOSTON -- Two men involved in a federal drug sweep -- one with 17 aliases -- pleaded guilty Friday in connection to a widespread Lawrence-based heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.

Both Caonablo Mayobanex Pol Montero, 45, a Dominican national living in Lawrence, and Shawn Keefe, 27, of Lowell, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.

Pol Montero also pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry of a deported alien.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin scheduled their sentencings for March 22 and Dec. 17, 2018, respectively. Keefe has been accepted to the court's RISE program, so his sentencing is delayed one year while he's enrolled in the program.

In May of this year, after a year-long investigation aimed at attacking the fentanyl and heroin crisis in Lawrence and surrounding areas, more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers executed a federal drug sweep. The Lawrence-based trafficking organization was allegedly run by Juan Anibal Patrone.

Pol Montero and Keefe were arrested and charged, along with Patrone and about 30 co-conspirators.

Pol Montero allegedly supplied drugs to Patrone as well as to other customers, including Keefe, who redistributed drugs for Pol Montero and sold drugs to support his own habit. When search warrants were executed in May, more than 350 grams of heroin, 22 grams of fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia were found at Pol Montero's home.

The conspiracy charge can result in a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.

The illegal re-entry charge can result in a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the DEA Cross Border Initiative -- comprised of the DEA, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Andover, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, and Wilmington Police Departments -- and the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).

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